Campanian-Maastrichtian fossils from southern Belgium and neighbouring countries curated at the University of Liège

THE MAASTRICHTIAN STAGE;

THE CURRENT CONCEPT

Natuurhistorisch Museum MaastrichtICentre C6ramique

6-8 September 2012

Workshop programme, abstracts and field guide

Edited by

John W.M. Jagt

&

Elena A. Jagt-Yazykova

Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlandsluniwersytet Opolski, Opole, Poland

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NATUURHISTORISCH

MUSEUM MAASTRICHT

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STADSBIBLIOTHEEK

Machalski, M., Jagt, J.W.M., Alekseev, A.S. & Jagt-Yazykova, E.A., i n press. Terminal Maastrichtian ammonites from Turkmenistan, Central Asia. Acto Poloeontologico Polonico (http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.2011.0110)

Machalski, M., Jagt, J.W.M., Heinberg, C., Landman, N.H. & Haakansson, E., 2009. Daliskie amonity

-

perspektywy badali. Przeglqd Geologiczny, 57: 486-493.

Niebuhr, B., Hampton, M.J., Gallagher, L.T. & Remin, Z., 2011. Integrated stratigraphy of the Kronsrnoor section (northern

Germany), a reference point for the base of the Maastrichtian in the Boreal Realm. Acto Geologico Polonico, 61: 193-214. Odin, G.S. & Lamaurelle, M.A., 2001. The global Campanian-Maastrichtian stage boundary at Tercis les Bains, Landes, SW France.

Episodes, 4: 229-238.

Walaszczyk, l., 2004. lnoceramids and inoceramid biostratigraphy of the Upper Carnpanian t o basal Maastrichtian of the Middle

Vistula River Section, central Poland. Acto Geologico Polonico, 54: 95-168.

Walaszczyk, I., Cobban, W.A. & Odin, G.S., 2002. The inoceramid succession across the Carnpanian-Maastrichtian boundary.

Bulletin of the Geologicol Society of Denrnork, 49: 53-60.

Walaszczyk, I., Kennedy, W.J. & Klinger, H.C., 2009. Cretaceous faunas from Zululand and Natal, South Africa. Systematic

palaeontology and stratigraphical potential of the Upper Campania-Maastrichtian lnoceramidae (Bivalvia). Africon Noturol History, 5:49-132.

Poster

Campanian-Maastrichtian fossils from southern Belgium and

neighbouring countries curated at the University of Liege

Bernard Mottequin, Julien Denayer, Valentin Fischer & Edouard Poty

Unite de Paleontologie animale, Universite de Liege, Allee du 6 AoQt, 818, Sart Tilman, 8-4000 Liege 1, Belgium, emails:

bmottequin@ulg.ac.be; julien.denayer@ulg.ac.be; v.fischer@ulg.ac.be; e.poty@ulg.ac.be

The historical collections of Liege University were amassed mainly by Gustave Dewalque (1826-1905), who

held the chair of geology between 1857 and 1897. They include a large number of animal macrofossils from

the Cretaceous of southern Belgium, but also from elsewhere in western Europe (e.g., France, the

Netherlands and Germany, for the most part). Nevertheless, these collections remain largely unknown to

the palaeontological community. This is obviously related to the fact that, contrary to their Palaeozoic

counterparts (see Mottequin e t

al., 2011), they have been barely studied. One of the few papers dealing

with Belgian Late Cretaceous material housed at Liege University is that by Cotteau (1875); in this the

echinoids from the Cenomanian Bernissart Calcirudites Formation (formerly the 'Tourtia de Tournai') are

discussed. However, these collections are of considerable significance as they comprise lots of specimens

originating from localities which are no longer accessible, such as Rocourt and Thimister.

The core of the Campanian-Maastrichtian collections consists of several tens of thousands of invertebrate

specimens (e.g., ammonites, belemnites, nautiloids, bivalves, brachiopods, bryozoans, echinoderms,

gastropods, scleractinians, sponges, foraminifera and decapod crustaceans), which essentially come from

the Liege area (e.g., Rocourt, Thimister, Montagne Saint-Pierre) and the Mons Basin (e.g. Ciply, Spiennes),

but also from France and the Netherlands. Most of them are still mounted on their original cardboard

tablets. Vertebrates from the same regions, which are clearly less abundant, are represented by teleosts,

chondrichthyans, diverse mosasaurids, large elasmosaurid plesiosaurians, and probably two different taxa

of marine turtles, including one large form. lchnofossils constitute only a minor part of these collections.

Some type specimens are housed at Liege University. Among the echinoids, we may cite the type of

Micraster? ciplyensis

Schluter, 1897, allegedly from the Maastrichtian of Ciply. In spite of our efforts, the

type of Leymeriaster maestrichtensis (Schluter, 1897) (Maastricht Formation, Maastrichtian), reported by

Schluter (1897) t o be part of the Liege collections, has not yet been traced (see also Meijer, 1955). Also

worth noting are the types of the ichnofossil Taonurus saportai Dewalque, 1881 from the 'Senonian' of

northern France (Anzin).

REFERENCES

Cotteau, G., 1875. Note sur les Echinides cretaces de la province de Hainaut. Bulletin de la SocietP gPologique de France, (3)2 (1874): 638-660.

Dewalque, G., 1881. Fragments paleontologiques. Annales de la SociPte gP01ogique de Belgique, 8: M43-M54.

Meijer, M., 1955. Sur un echinide peu connu du Maestrichtien du Limbourg hollando-belge. Hemiaster (Leymeriaster)

maestrichtensis Schlueter. Natuurhistorisch Maandblad, 44: 74-77.

Mottequin, B., Coen-Aubert, M. 81 Poty, E., 2011. The Belgian collections of fossil Cnidaria and Porifera. In: Aretz, M., Delculee, S.,

Denayer, J. & Poty, E. (eds). Abstract Volume of the 11th International Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera, Liege 2011.

Kolner Forum fur Geologie und PaMontologie, 19: 111-112.

Schliiter, C., 1897. Ueber einige exocyclische Echiniden der baltischen Kreide und deren Bett. Zeitschrift der deutschen geologischen

Gesellschaft, 49: 18-50.

Poster

Detailed mapping of Santonian-Maastrichtian formations in northeast

Wallonia, Belgium

Bernard ~ottequin',

Pierre ~ h ~ s e l ~ )

Martin

~ a l o u x ~ ~

Jean-Marc ~ a r i o n '

&

Jean-

Louis pingot3

'unite de Paleontologie animale, Universite de Liege, Allee du 6 AoOt, 818, Sart Tilman, 8-4000 Liege 1, Belgium, email:

bmottequin@ulg.ac.be; jmmarion@ulg.ac.be; 21nstitut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Service geologique de Belgique,

Rue Jenner 13, B-1000 Bruxelles, Belgium, email: pierre.ghysel@sciencesnaturelles.be; 3 ~ a r t h and Life Institute, Universite

catholique de Louvain, place Louis Pasteur, 3, boite L4.03.06,B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, email:

Martin.LALOUX.ext@spw.wallonie.be, jean-louis.pingot@uclouvain.be

Cretaceous rocks, unconformably resting on the Palaeozoic basement, are recognised in several regions

within the southern and northeastern parts of Wallonia, mainly in the Mons Basin and the Liege area,

respectively (e.g., Robaszynski et al., 2002). In northeast Wallonia (Fig. l ) , Upper Cretaceous deposits

essentially include sands, chalks and calcarenites. Northwest of Liege, they are generally covered by

Cenozoic (Paleogene) and/or thick loess deposits. Campanian and Maastrichtian carbonate rocks (Gulpen

and Maastricht formations) are still extensively quarried for the production of Portland cement in the

valleys of the Meuse and Geer rivers, north of Liege. They are also excellent reservoir rocks, affected by a

double porosity (Dassargues & Monjoie, 1993), and constitute the Hesbaye aquifer, which is crucial for the

water supply of Liege and i t s suburbs.